Load equalizing support system for façade wall panels
Systems, methods, and an apparatus are provided for supporting a wall panel on a floor surface and for providing a desired distribution of a load from the wall panel to the floor surface. For some buildings, the desired distribution is an equal or uniform distribution. A wall panel such as a precast concrete façade wall panel may include multiple supports that contact a floor surface. Each support has a bias member that generates a force that is equivalent to the portion of the overall load that the support transfers to a floor. As a result, bias members in these supports can be adjusted to provide a desired load distribution from a wall panel or other component to the floor surface to account for floor deflection, settling of the building, spanning adjacent columns, etc.
1. An apparatus connected to a wall panel for adjusting a force against a floor surface, comprising:
a housing defining an interior volume and having an upper opening and a lower opening;
a bias member positioned within said interior volume between an upper plate of an upper assembly and a lower plate of a lower assembly;
a coupler of said lower assembly connected to said lower plate, wherein said coupler passes through said lower opening to contact said floor surface; and
a bolt of said upper assembly that contacts said upper plate, wherein rotation of said bolt in a first direction moves said upper plate and compresses said bias member to increase said force transferred from said coupler to said floor surface, and rotation of said bolt in an opposing second direction moves said upper plate and expands said bias member to decrease said force transferred from said coupler to said floor surface.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said bias member is a spring having one of a linear response or a non-linear response.
3. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a bolt plate connected to said housing and covering said upper opening, wherein said bolt is threadably engaged to an aperture through said bolt plate so that said bolt can rotate in said first direction or said second direction.
4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said coupler comprises a first component threadably engaged to a second component, and relative rotation between said first and second components adjusts a length of said coupler and moves said lower plate within said housing.
5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said housing has a rectangular cross-section with four inner walls, and said upper plate and said lower plate each have four outer walls that complement said four inner walls of said housing.
6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein said upper plate and said lower plate each have chamfers at corners between adjacent outer walls to reduce binding with said four inner walls of said housing.
7. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a guide that extends from a bottom surface of said upper plate and into said bias member to locate said bias member relative to said upper plate.
8. A system for distributing a load from a vertically-oriented wall panel to a floor surface, comprising:
a plurality of supports connected to a bottom end of said wall panel, each support having:
a bias member positioned within a housing, wherein said bias member generates a force equal to a portion of said load;
a coupler operably connected to said bias member, wherein said coupler contacts said floor surface to transfer said portion of said load to said floor surface; and
an adjustment feature that changes said force generated by said bias member to change said portion of said load transferred to said floor surface, wherein said adjustment feature is a bolt that is threadably engaged with an aperture, and said bolt contacts an upper plate positioned at a top end of said bias member.
9. The system of claim 8 , wherein said plurality of supports comprises at least three supports, and at least two supports of said plurality of supports transfer distinct portions of said load to said floor surface.
10. The system of claim 8 , wherein said plurality of supports comprises at least three supports, and at least two supports of said plurality of supports transfer equal portions of said load to said floor surface.
11. The system of claim 8 , further comprising a frame connected to said wall panel, wherein said plurality of supports is connected to said frame, and said coupler of each support in said plurality of supports extends through a horizontal member of said frame to contact said floor surface.
12. The system of claim 8 , wherein said bias member is one of a spring, a hydraulic actuator, a pneumatic actuator, or an electric actuator.
13. The system of claim 8 , wherein said bias members of said supports of said plurality of supports are adjusted such that said load from said wall panel is uniformly distributed to said floor surface.
14. A method for distributing a load from a wall panel that is vertically-oriented against a floor surface, comprising:
providing said wall panel comprising a plurality of supports connected to a bottom end of said wall panel, wherein each support has:
a bias member positioned within a housing, wherein said bias member generates a force equal to a portion of said load;
a coupler operably connected to said bias member, wherein said coupler extends to contact said floor surface to transfer said portion of said load to said floor surface;
an adjustment feature that changes said force generated by said bias member to change said portion of said load transferred to said floor surface, wherein said adjustment feature is a bolt that is threadably engaged with an aperture, and said bolt contacts an upper plate positioned at a top end of said bias member;
positioning the bias member between the upper plate and a lower plate of each support of said plurality of supports, wherein said coupler is connected to said lower plate;
determining a distribution of said load from said wall panel to said floor surface based on a characteristic of said floor surface; and
moving said upper plate relative to said lower plate of at least one support of said plurality of supports to change a displacement of said bias member and adjust said force generated by said bias member to meet said determined distribution of said load.
15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:
rotating the bolt relative to a bolt plate of a support of said plurality of supports to move said upper plate relative to said lower plate.
16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising:
fixing a position of said bolt relative to said bolt plate of said support of said plurality of supports to maintain said force generated by said bias member.
17. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:
rotating a first component of said coupler of a support of said plurality of supports relative to a second component of said coupler to change a length of said coupler and to change a position of said lower plate.
18. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:
connecting at least three supports of said plurality of supports to said wall panel, wherein at least two supports transfer distinct portions of said load.
19. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:
connecting at least three supports of said plurality of supports to said wall panel, wherein at least two supports transfer equal portions of said load.